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Vie des Arts

Sculptors in the Prairie Provinces Illi-Maria Harff

Au delà de la sculpture Number 54, Spring 1969

URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/58183ac

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Publisher(s) La Société La Vie des Arts

ISSN 0042-5435 (print) 1923-3183 (digital)

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Cite this article Harff, I.-M. (1969). Sculptors in the Prairie Provinces. Vie des Arts, (54), 49–53.

Tous droits réservés © La Société La Vie des Arts, 1969 This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/

This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ Ivan EYRE. Mana Idol, 1966. Plâtre. 25'/4" (64,15 cm). Winnipeg Art Gallery, (photo Brigdens).

sculptors in the prairie provinces

by ILLI-MARIA HARFF 10 2. Bruce Head. Peak. Toile sculpturale, (photo H. Kalen). 3. Doug BENTHAM. Acier peint, 1968. H.: 96" (243,85 cm). Mendel Art Gallery. 4. R. P. KOSTYNIUK. Relief structuriste, 196E (photo H. Kalen). 5. Bill EPP. Centenial, 1965. 6. Ricardo GOMEZ. Sans titre, 1968. Fibre d verre et plomb laques. H.: 12"; L.: 108" P.: 36" (30,5 x 274,35 x 91,45 cm), (phot Brigdens). 7. Ann JAMES. What's a Nice Girl Like You Do ing In A Place Like This?, 1968 (photo Bo Howard).

Although Alberta, Saskatchewan am Manitoba are collectively called th' Prairie Provinces, there is little that tie them artistically. Art activities centn around the larger cities and there i sparse communication among these. Th vast distances between the major citie possibly account for this phenomenor The artists working in these cities tend t< look toward the international art scene fo direction. Having recently made a surve' of sculpture being done in Régine Saskatoon, Edmonton and Calgary, I wi report in that order mentioning my horn' base, Winnipeg, last. The most advanced and accomplishei sculptor in Regina is Ricardo Gomez, whi came to Canada from San Francisco. Hi pieces are cast lead and steel orfibre glas which is then coated with lacquer. Thi gives the surface a smooth iridescen quality that transforms the object inti apparent lightness. The surface seem softly molded and clay-like, the lacque giving it a precious enameled look Gomez' pedestal sculpture has recent!' become area consuming multiple-uni forms that hug the ground. Joe Fafard who is also an instructor a the Art School in the University o i Saskatchewan. Regina Campus, is pre fmi sently experimenting with motorize» foam-rubber pieces that are given th< ability to writhe along the floor, like i A motorized children's toy. At this poin these pieces remain rather expérimenta and unfinished in their form. Anotheryoung sculptor, Mark Andersoi who came from the United States a fev years ago, works in welded steel as well a in a variety of new materials. He too is stil very much in search of his own style. Working in a startling new departure i the Regina potter Ann James. She ha recently made constructions compose) of paint, canvas, clay and a new materia called natural urethane, which give forms the appearance of frozen foam. Thi

50 assemblage sculpture of the American artist, Edward Kienholz, whose work had been exhibited at the Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery in 1966 has possibly opened the door to this kind of expression. Ann James'comments are organically gripping shapes that writhe and moan, and are curiously coloured in extremely harsh dark tones or very sweet pastel tones. They slowly open themselves to the viewer and then strike with a lasting impact. Pieces like, "What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing In A Place Like This?" a seated nude fused completely with a chair are satyrical statements in a lighter vein. In Saskatoon, the driving force in sculp­ ture is Bill Epp, who teaches art at the Technical Coilegiate and sculpture at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Campus. He has been working on large welded steel sculptures for a number of years. In the earlier pieces, he used rectangular shapes that were added to each other to form slim tall sentinels. In 1967, he began a series based on the drum-shape. These compositions are built up on an arched base that lifts and supports them. The surface treated with a blow-torch bears the artist's own handwriting. During the past year. Bill Epp has made sculptures out of sheets of plywood that are then painted. The arch base now expands widely giving the pieces a sprawling space-consuming effect rather than one of monumentality. The constant work and interest in the sculpture field on the part of the teacher Bill Epp, has created a rather unique situation in Saskatoon. Several of his students have become sculptors in their own right. In the spring of 1968, these students were given the opportunity to work on large scale sculpture at a sym­ posium organized by Biil Epp with the support of the Mendel Art Gallery. The results are astonishing. Two pieces were

.u 8. Katie von der OHE. Broken secret, 1964. acquired by the Mendel Art Gallery. One Bronze. H.: 15" (38,15 cm), (photo A. is by Brian Newman who works in Govers). welded steel forms that are assembled in McLeary DROPE. Homage to Helios, 1967. geometric patterns reminiscent of the Acier soudé. work of the American sculptor David 10. Judith POOLE. Flower, 1968. Fibre de verre. Smith. The other piece made by Doug H.: 84" (213,4 cm). Bentham is already installed on the 11. Luke LINDOE. Pétroglyphes, 1 967. Relief en grounds of the Mendel Art Gallery. The creux. Musée provincial et Archives, Milk piece consists of three repeated squares River, Alberta. set on well proportioned rectangles, 12. Olle HOLMSTEN. Bronze, (photo Hu Hohn). placed equal distance from each other. It is brave, elegant and minimal in concept. Judith Poole who also participated in the symposium, received her initial training at the St. Martin School of Art in London, England. She makes herforms by molding them out of fibreglass adding brilliant colours into the mixture. Her composi­ tions are whitty and lighthearted and are closely akin to the work of the young British sculptors. This year she received a Canada Council scholarship to enable her to make sculpture furniture out of molded fibreglass. Saskatoon is also the stronghold of the Structurists under the leadership of Eli Bornstein. The Structurist Art, although it bears definitely sculptural elements has evolved out of a painting tradition rather than a sculpture tradition, as Eli Bornstein points out in the first issue of "The Structurist" 1960-1961, a magazine he has been editing since then. If one were tc catagorize Structurist Art it would have tc be termed relief since its elements dc protrude from the wall. A large Structurisl relief made by Eli Bornstein hangs in the lobby of the Winnipeg Airport. Colourec cubes create the rhythmic pattern. The colour quality is extremely important tc the Structurists. Bornstein's colours are continously being purified. His lates pieces are very luminous with colours found in a butterfly's wing. A younc deciple of Eli Bornstein's, R. P. Kostyniuk, who now teaches in Edmonton has taker the Structurist idea across to Alberta. His reliefs are presently less concerned with colour, slightly asymetrical, yet ver\ deliberate compositions. In Alberta there is very little sculpture being made in the more contemporary vein. Sculpture is only recently being taught in Edmonton and the instructors have been imported from the Unitec States. In Calgary, the situation is some­ what different, Walt Drohan and Luke Lindoe who are primarily potters have received some commissions to create reliefs and sculptures for particular archi­ tectural settings. Olle Homsten whc teaches sculpture at the Alberta College of Art has received similar commissions but there are few individual works ir evidence. The only one who has beer working on sculpture primarily in that areé is Katie von der Ohe. She has produced reflecting its organic structure and reveal­ tion" made of canvas painted with numerous free-standing abstracted forms ing its inner core. Recently Drope is acrylics and a strip of plexiglass. in a variety of materials. She has also working in a new direction creating a The piece was displayed on the floor. created relief murals like the one in the kinetic piece made of three drum-shapes The canvas having been stretched over a Geological Survey Building on the Uni­ that carry patterns of neon tubing. He wooden frame was formed into an versity of Alberta Campus. This kind of collaborated with an electrical engineer elegantly white geometric shape. The conservative semi-abstract relief mural in the construction of this piece. plexiglass strip, also white, served as a work seems to be particulary popular in Another Winnipeg artist Ivan Eyre, who continum and a defined plane resting Alberta. is primarily a painter should however be along the top of the construction. A In Winnipeg there are a small number of mentioned for the very unusual realistic graduate of the School of Art, James M. artists who have chosen the sculpture sculptured figures he has made. The Barr was also represented in this exhibi­ medium as their form of expression. The figures are out of plaster with some painted tion. His sculpture "Flower Power" is a School of Art, now in the University of areas and some areas covered with cloth. large painted steel piece with plastic Manitoba has offered sculpture courses They are characters that have appeared in parts that revolve. A pink cloud crowns over a number of years. Until two years his paintings and have now been per­ the piece and large pastel coloured ago, the sculpture department was headed sonified in three dimentional form. Re­ flowers rotate. Again it is a playful by Cecil Richards who worked in a cently Ivan Eyre has been creating male whimsical piece of sculpture. modern figrative style casting his pieces and female forms in clay. In summing up, there are several points in bronze. His position has recently been Extending the painted canvas into a which come to mind. Although the occupied by two young American in­ relief form or sculptural form is done by sculptors in the Prairie Provinces are structors. Despite these teaching facilities, the Winnipeg artist Bruce Head and the physically rather removed from the large there has been little sculpture produced young American Robert C. Sakowski who art centres in the world, they have in Winnipeg. in 1 967 joined the staff of the Art School managed to keep in contact with some of The strongest personality here, who at the University of Manitoba. Bruce the current developments. They are ex­ has been sculpting since the early 60's is Head takes film reels and twists them into perimenting with new materials. They are McCleary Drope. He began by making various shapes as the bases for his con­ creating pieces that tend towards the ceramic sculptures and then turned to struction. Over this skeleton he stretches environmental. They are also trying to metal sculpture made from found objects a canvas and then paints the surface. The work in forms that tend to border between which he welded together. Having be­ piece called "Peak" is painted in metalic painting and sculpture. Current problems come familiar with the welding technique, silver giving a softly formed surface that of expression have become their own he constructed large welded steel forms has however all the qualities of a sculp­ problems of expression. In closing I that are lyrical and poetic and definitely tured relief. Robert Sakowski entered a would like to thank the artists and my monuments set on pedestals. He calls this piece into the Eleventh Winnipeg Show colleagues who have helped to gather the series "Homage to Helios". The forms at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in November material for this essay. are derived from the geometry of nature. 1968, that he called "Untitled Construc­

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